Duke Energy Florida reported that in 2025, its customers experienced the lowest average outage duration in more than 20 years. The company stated that the average outage lasted about 64 minutes per customer, excluding time lost due to major storms. This achievement is linked to ongoing efforts to strengthen the electrical grid throughout Florida.
Grid hardening includes several measures such as upgrading wooden power poles to concrete or steel, which are more resistant to strong winds. Over the past five years, around 60% of Duke Energy Florida’s transmission poles have been upgraded, with plans to complete this work by 2028. The company has also placed about half of its distribution system underground, especially in areas prone to outages caused by falling tree limbs or where equipment is hard to reach.
Another factor contributing to reduced outages is the implementation of smart, self-healing technology. This system detects outages automatically and reroutes electricity so service can be restored quickly—often in under a minute—or prevents an outage altogether. Currently, approximately 82% of Duke Energy Florida’s two million customers benefit from this technology.
In 2025 alone, smart technology helped avoid roughly 280,000 extended outages for customers. During the 2024 hurricane season, it saved millions of hours in potential outage time: 3.3 million hours during Hurricane Milton, 1.8 million during Hurricane Helene, and over 200,000 during Hurricane Debby.
Melissa Seixas, state president for Duke Energy Florida said: “Thankfully, Mother Nature spared us last year, but living in Florida, we know it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ the next storm is coming. This work is designed to significantly improve reliability and help keep the lights on for our customers when they need it most.”
Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity across a 13,000-square-mile area and owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity serving residential, commercial and industrial customers statewide. Its parent company Duke Energy serves over eight million electric utility customers across six states and continues to invest in grid upgrades and cleaner energy sources including natural gas and renewables.
Further information about Duke Energy can be found at duke-energy.com and through their social media channels.
